Following normal due to the depression in the Bay of Bengal, the state was drenched during the past 48 hours. This has brought down the deficit percentage to 33 from 38 making farmers smile.

In fact, the Met Dept claims that the margin is likely to narrow as widespread rain in the coming days was predicted.

This is the first time when many areas across the country received widespread rainfall, many parts of Jharkhand remained dry minus its southern, northeastern and central parts of the state. Statistics show that Chakradharpur in West Singhbhum and Rajmahal in Godda district registered 103 mm of rain topping the charts in past 24 hours (8.30 am of Sunday to 8.30 am of Monday). Chandil in adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan district and steel city Jamshedpur recorded around 40 mm of rain each.

Met officials say the monsoon flow was activated in Jharkhand after the formation of the low-pressure area over Gangetic Bengal and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal which later converted into a depression resulting in widespread and heavy rain.

With fields getting rainwater, farmers have begun to plant paddy."This gives us hope that more rains will come and more paddy can be planted", said Sadnu Oraon in Ratu, Ranchi, echoing the sentiments of many farmers in Hazaribagh and Chatra.

Meteorologist SC Mandal says that the "Depression over northwest Jharkhand and neighbourhood moved slightly west-northwestwards and has weakened into a well-marked low-pressure area today. “An associated cyclonic circulation was also extending up to 7.6 km above mean sea level tilting southwards," he said.

In any case, the low pressure in the Bay of Bengal is bringing good rainfall in the region and the situation is likely to remain the same in the next two days.